Thieves Rush In
by Kellie Fay
Summary: Has anyone considered why Duke finally went straight?  Could it be he didn't have a choice?


The double crescent moons rose silently into the sky in an attempt to overtake the third moon, in its half stage, hanging above the rooftops. They cast a soft silvery light over the snow and ice of Wigeon, the second largest city on Puckworld. They had a wonderful outdoor hockey rink, big enough for over 6,000 ducks, and they had the third largest museum on the entire planet.  
  


Duke L'Orange smiled at the artistic columns and arches of the museum. He had visited the place three days ago, studying its security. Normally he wouldn't bother going after something in a mere museum. The security was always so lax. It was just way too easy to steal from them. In this case, however, there were several million aixs to be had if he could get a hold of and fence the Mallar Emerald.   
  


The sixth floor window on the south side of the museum had a broken latch. That would be his way in. With practiced ease he sent out his grappling hook and caught the edge of the window. He pulled himself up and within seconds was inside of the museum.  
  


The gem was on the fourth floor. Again Duke mentally sighed. He'd rather go after some jewels that were in a locked vault with a dozen army trained security guards rather than prowl around in a museum with a handful of retirees trying to make some extra cash.   
  


He did have to hide on the fifth floor as two of the guards stopped to talk. "Have you check the Malar Emerald tonight?" one asked.  
  


The other nodded, pushing his hand through his crest feathers. "Yeah, I did. Did old man Pintail give you the same lecture?"  
  


The first guard nodded. "Yeah, I can't quite figure him out. At one moment he's bragging about the thing so much that you'd think he's handing out an invitation to every thief on the planet to steal it, and the next moment he's asking us to keep extra security on it because he thinks it will be stolen every day."  
  


The second guard laughed. "I know, I know. Hey, do you think the thing is cursed like the legends say?"  
  


"I think it is. The stories say that whoever owns the thing goes insane after a while, and that would explain old man Pintail." His companion said.   
  


Laughter followed. "Yeah, it would. Come on, let's go check the Drake Dukane exhibit." The soft patter of footsteps told Duke that the guards were leaving.   
  


Duke didn't think about the guards' conversation until he was in front of the case that held the palm sized emerald on a golden chain. He didn't stop to read the description of the gem. He had the day he had cased the place.  
  


The Mallar Emerald. The largest pure emerald on Puckworld, possibly a piece from a meteorite that crash landed 4,000 years ago. According to legend the stone was owned once by Drake Dukane. During the Saurian War it was stolen and Drake Dukane cursed the stone swearing that any Saurian who touched the gem would die. 10 Saurian warlords apparently died after taken possession of the stone. It is said that whoever possesses the Mallar Emerald will be driven mad by the ghosts of the Saurians that the stone has killed.   
  


Duke didn't believe in legends and curses. The emerald was just another stone, a highly valuable stone, but just a rock nonetheless. By the time he found a buyer for the stone he would be several million aixs richer.   
  


With years of practiced skill Duke sliced a hole in the thick glass surrounding the stone. The alarm would sound if something warm entered the case, so Duke used a pair of chilled metal tongs to retrieve the stone. It easily slipped through the hole he had created, and seconds later the stone rested in his palm.  
  


Duke paused to admire his prize. It was the purest, most perfect green he had ever seen. It was framed in a tri gold setting with a braided tri gold chain. It was in short the most beautiful gem Duke had ever seen. He has wondered why he had never bothered coming for this treasure years ago. It was so exquisite he could hardly take his eyes off of it.  
  


A touch woke her, a caress, a warmth. A living hand was holding her. She could feel the connections to her last servant fade and falter as the new bonds formed. It was a male, a thief, Duke L'Orange, that was his name. She could sense his potential, his love, not of evil, but of adventure, and challenge. What a pity he had not existed in the time when she had lived. What a marvelous time they would have had. She would not harm this one too much. He could be useful to her, and with careful nurturing become an ally instead of a mere servant. In the meantime, as the bonds binding his soul to her will grew and matured, she began to search his memory to find out who this gallant rouge was.   
  


Duke finally blinked and shook out his head. How long had he been standing there gaping at the rock like a rookie? He had to go before he was found! He stashed the gem in his jacket pocket, and slipped out of the museum as quietly as he had come.   
  


**Two weeks later**  
  


"Hey, according to the paper, the police have stopped looking for whoever stole the Mallar Emerald," Aythya said, as she read to the rest of the Brotherhood of the Blade.   
  


Teal, a younger grey duck with a crest of flame red feathers looked up from cleaning his blade. "They did? I thought that thing was valuable?"  
  


Aythya read some more. "It says here the owner has begged the police to call off the search. He doesn't want it back. He said he never wants to see that cursed thing again."  
  


"The owner said that?" Teal asked, incredulous. "You mean he admitted the thing was cursed? I wouldn't want the thing back either."  
  


Duke looked up from checking his own gear. " You mean you believe in that curse thing? It's all superstitious nonsense!"  
  


Aythya looked up from her paper. "Have you ever read the history on that thing, Duke? The owners before Pintail were really crazy! I wouldn't want to steal that thing for all the aixs on the planet."  
  


"You're both nuts," Duke insisted.   
  


He rose to leave when Teal asked, "Hey weren't you supposed to go after the thing? When I first heard it was stolen I thought you had done the job."  
  


"I decided not to take it," Duke said, calmly. "It was just too easy."  
  


"I'd kill for an easy job," Aythya said, but gave Duke an odd glance. "But I thought you said the money was worth it."  
  


"Well I changed my mind," Duke insisted.  
  


"I wonder," Teal said. In a single move the younger duck moved in front of Duke and felt the inside pockets of Duke's vest. His hand met a hard stone lump.  
  


"Hey!" Duke said.   
  


Teal paled and backed away. "Check the pocket," Teal said.   
  


Duke pulled out of his vest pocket a small package wrapped in velvet. Inside was the emerald.  
  


Now Aythya backed away as well. "The Mallar Emerald? Duke, are you insane?"  
  


"He will be now!" Teal said.   
  


Duke looked at the stone trying to figure out where it had come from. "But...how...I don't remember taking it!"  
  


"You see!" Teal said. "That rock is going to drive you mad!"  
  


Duke looked at the stone and looked at the two younger ducks. "I think you two are the ones who are nuts. It's just an emerald! Like all the other gems we've stolen. Nothing is going to happen."  
  


They were famous last words.  
  


Within a week nobody wanted Duke as a partner. Within a month The Brotherhood of the Blade was down to one member. Even that egotistical idiot, Falcone didn't want to hang around Duke, and he really couldn't blame them. He was beginning to have this incredible streak of bad luck.   
  


First it was accidently tripping an alarm at a bank, then it was dropping a needed tool at a heist in the City Hall. Again and again stupid rookie mistakes were making him give up a job before he had even gotten inside the building.  
  


After two months of not being able to pull off the simplest job, Duke was ready to admit that something was wrong, and he didn't have an answer to it. There was only one thing he could do.   
  


He rode out to his favorite place on Puckworld. A small range of foothills just below the mysterious mountains of Twin Beaks. He sat there for most of the day just taking in the scenic beauty of the place. After the sun set he reached out to draw his blade to make an end of it.   
  


His hand would not close on the hilt of his sword. "What the?" He asked. Again he tried to grasp his sword, but his hand would not obey him. "What is going on here?"  
  


"I am not about to let you destroy yourself," a strange new voice said to him. Duke spun around to see a beautiful young grey duck dressed in the strangest of clothes. She wore a lavender hoop skirt dress with flowing scooped sleeves. Her blond crest feathers were tied into a tail and she wore a small tiara of sparkling amethyst gems that matched her eyes.   
  


Duke was absolutely stunned. "Who are you? Where did you come from?"  
  


The stranger sat down upon the stones on the hill and scrutinized Duke carefully. "My name is Cassidy, and as for where I came from, you brought me here."  
  


"I brought you?" Duke asked. "But how?"  
  


Cassidy nodded to his vest pocket where the stone still rested. Duke was surprised that he still held the stone. If it really was the curse that was causing him problems, why hadn't he tried to get rid of it.?  
  


"You can't," Cassidy said, answering his unasked question. "The power of the stone is to watch out for itself. It will not allow you to dispose of it, nor can you allow it to be taken from you. And the only way to be rid of the curse, and of me, is to have the stone taken from you."   
  


"Rid of you?" Duke echoed. "Wait a minute, are you telling me that you are the curse of the Mallar Emerald?"  
  


Cassidy nodded. "When you took up the stone from the stronghold its last owner left it in, my soul and yours were irreversibly linked. You cannot escape it."  
  


Duke turned away from her, and went for his sword again. "Like hell I can't escape you." He tried to run himself through again, but instead he found himself on his knees his blade cast aside on the ground next to him. He wasn't in any pain, instead, he would have called it a pressure on his mind and body. Something strong and powerful was holding on to him, controlling his body.  
  


"I'm afraid you can't." Cassidy's voice echoed through his whole body. "Your body and soul belong to me now, for as long as you hold the emerald, and you're far too useful to me to allow you to die."   
  


I'm doomed, Duke thought as he knelt there staring at the ground beneath him. I can't even die when I choose. I'm her slave, and I can't do a thing about it.  
  


For the first six months life was hell.   
  


Cassidy wouldn't let him steal, except some petty stuff to meet his day to day needs. Any time he tried to do anything interesting she either made him screw up or he'd wake up hours later in a new town with no memory of how he got there.   
  


Then there was the arguing. Cassidy didn't like how he had been living up till then. She didn't like the fact that he ran a gang ("Until you came along," he reminded her.) She didn't like it that he stole from others for no reason, and his "spreading the wealth around," story didn't sit well with her.   
  


"Do not tell me you were born poor. I know your mind, Duke!" she said angrily pacing back and forth going through the coffee table as she did so. "You were born into a learned and cultured family. You went to school. You chose to steal from others for no good reason. You stole the gem that bound me to you! You have no one else to blame for your fate but yourself!"  
  


"Oh yeah? What about that nutcase Pintail that bragged about owning the gem? He knew what he was doing. You and that rock maybe made him protect the thing, but he wanted to get rid of it in the worst way! And I'd do same to anyone to be able to get rid of it and you too!"   
  


Duke, of course, never won those arguments. No matter what he wanted, Cassidy was able to control him. He was subject to her wishes. It wasn't that Cassidy was mean to him. She was very nice to him, but she wouldn't let him steal. After a while he actually got used to her bossing him around, but without the thrill of sneaking around someone's home without their knowledge Life just wasn't fun anymore. It was just one dreary day after another, with no adventure, no challenge, nothing to feed his spirit. Cassidy might be able to keep him from killing his body, but he knew that his soul was dying a little bit each day.  
  


Then the Saurian Warlords attacked and Duke's life was changed forever.   
  


Cassidy did allow him to play hockey when he could. There on the ice he was able to forget that he was her slave, and lose himself in the motion and the challenge of the game. It was also a way Cassidy let him keep up on his old skills. He'd break into a small rink at the far edge of whatever town they were in and practice when he could.  
  


He was doing so early one morning when he thought he felt the ice tremble beneath his skates. He stopped and looked up to the sky. "Cassidy? What the heck is going on?" He asked. Cassidy, while she was alive, had very special gifts. She seemed to be able to influence people to do things, and read thoughts of others. She also could sense things without having to see them. Now Duke could feel Cassidy use him to flex her powers.   
  


"I do not know, Duke," she admitted, appearing besides him. "There is something wrong. I sense fear, and chaos and...." She trailed off, and suddenly shivered. "Saurians, there are Saurians on Puckworld" she said. Duke shivered too. Cassidy was killed by Saurians.  
  


Duke quickly changed back into his regular shoes. "Come on Cass, time to find out what's up."  
  


What was up was that a dozen Saurian warships were attacking the planet. At first Duke stared with the rest of the citizens in horror, as the war ships laid all the buildings in town flat. The ships landed, turning into huge land walkers, and continued their destruction, ignoring the small child that ran in front of them, calling for its parents.  
  


Duke was moving before he was sure of what he was going to do. Ignoring the threat to his own life, Duke threw his grappler over a piece of jutting out steel, and swung directly into the path of the on-coming war machine. He scooped the child out of harm's way and into her parents' arms. He then swung up on a ledge and looked at the carnage the war machines were causing.  
  


He could feel Cassidy within him. She hated the Saurians. They had killed her and the entire Mallar family, before Drake Dukane had stopped them. For a time the Saurians had held possession of the Mallar Emerald. That part the stone's legend was true. When able to possess a Saurian, Cassidy had used them to kill their own kind. She had gone through 10 Saurian owners of the stone before they had figured out what was going on. The Saurians called the emerald The Death Stone, and no Saurian in their right mind would lay a hand on it.  
  


Part of Duke could sympathize with Cassidy, as he watched the destruction of his home, he wanted revenge too. He just didn't like the idea of killing. That was why he became a thief in the first place. He'd rather the owners or guards of the establishments never notice his visit until he was gone. Killing was so...so messy. He'd rather accomplish a job with skill and style than brute force. Still he could feel Cassidy's anger rising in her making his own blood boil. She wanted to destroy them all.   
  


"You're going to make me fight them aren't you?" He asked her. After nearly nine months of her controlling him, he knew he didn't have any choice in the matter.  
  


"You must think me heartless, don't you, Duke?" Cassidy asked. He could hear the anger suppressed in her voice.   
  


Duke sighed. "Look, Cass, I know how you feel about the Saurians. I'm not going to even argue with you. They have to be stopped! I agree. Whatever you want me to do, I'll do."  
  


"But you do not like to kill," Cassidy said.  
  


Duke winced. Why did she love to torture him so? "It's not like I have much of a choice, right? If you want me to I'll just have to do it."  
  


Now Cassidy looked at him sourly. "I would never make one of my own people turn into a cold blooded murderer because I wished to kill!"  
  


Duke turned to look at her confused. "You...you wouldn't? But you told me-"  
  


"Well of course I did it to the Saurians!" She cut him off exasperated. "They were killers to start with. I had no qualms about making them destroy their own. I would never do so with someone who respects life as much as you do." Here she chuckled warmly. "Even if you don't respect their property."  
  


Duke smiled mischievously, and gazed out at the machines destroying his planet. "Pretty lady, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me. And I promise you we will fight the Saurians, but when we do, it will be my way."  
  


Life quickly became interesting again. 


End file.
